1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a module in which semiconductor elements are mounted on a board, and more particularly to a unit type clip lead terminal comprising lead terminals for electrically connecting the module to an external device. The invention further relates to a clip lead terminal connecting method, a lead terminal connecting board, and a method of producing a board with lead terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional clip lead terminal means to be connected to a board of a module is a unit type connecting clip lead terminal. This type of terminal means has a plurality of clip lead terminals aligned in the same direction and arranged in parallel with each other. The terminals are connected to each other through a tie bar and a guide member to thereby be united into one-body. Then, the unit type clip lead terminal is connected electrically to the board by sandwiching respective connecting terminals formed on an edge portion of the board by clip portions of the respective clip leads. The clip portion has usually a three-forked construction, then the center one portion and the both side two portions of the three forks sandwich the edge portion of the board on which the connecting terminals are disposed. After the clip portions have been connected thereto, the respective clip lead terminals are separated by removing the tie bars and the guide members, thereby obtaining the module with the clip lead terminals.
In the DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module), connecting terminals formed on the front surface of the board and connecting terminals formed on the rear surface of the board are different with respect to signals outputted therefrom. The connecting terminals for the front surface and the connecting terminals for the rear surface are alternately disposed on the edge portion of the board of the DIMM in order to decrease the terminal pitch by narrowing the distance between the connecting terminals.
However, when the pitch between the connecting terminals is decreased, there is raised a fear that the clip portions of the adjacent clip lead terminals are short-circuited. Accordingly, in the DIMM, the clip lead terminals are constructed in such a manner that the adjacent clip portions are directed on the opposite sides, thereby preventing the adjacent clip portions from short-circuiting. That is, each of the clip portions is connected to the connecting terminal for the front surface and the connecting terminal for the rear surface of the board at the center one portion of the three forks thereof.
Also, in the DIMM, since the connecting terminal for the front surface and the connecting terminal for the rear surface board are different with respect to the signals outputted therefrom, the lead terminals are separated into two rows, one being connected to the connecting terminals for the front surface and the other connected to the connecting terminals for the rear surface.
Therefore, in a case where the clip lead terminals are connected to the DIMM, it is not appropriate to use the conventional unit type clip lead terminal used for the SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module), which is made narrow in pitch. Accordingly, as for a DIMM, there are prepared two unit type the clip lead terminals, one for the front surface and the other for the rear surface. Then, one of the two unit type clip lead terminals is separately connected to the connecting terminals for the front surface and the other to the connecting terminals for the rear surface of the DIMM.
However, since the two unit type clip lead terminals for the front surface and for the rear surface are separately connected to the DIMM, there is a problem that the manufacturing time for the connection is increased compared with a case where only one connecting clip lead terminal is connected to the SIMM.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a technique of easily connecting lead terminals to a board of a module.